Girls volleyball conquers Culver City at home 3-0

On Oct. 9, the Samo girls volleyball took on Ocean League rival Culver City High School at home. They came out on top 3-0 to bring their league record to 4-0.In the first set, Samo made an effort to stop the Culver City with a defensive game plan. They blocked many of the opposing side’s shots and comfortably won the first set 25-16.Head coach Wynn Trihn was pleased with how his team played in the first set,“We started off with some great blocks and that got our defense going,” he said.The following to sets were extremely close, with both going into overtime.In the second set, Culver City held a small lead, but Samo came charging back, tying the game 24-24. From there, Samo managed to serve out the set, winning two quick points in order to clinch a 26-24 set win. Throughout the second set, the home crowd was loud and supportive, cheering on Captain Brooke Earkman (‘16). According to Earkman, Samo was not surprised by the high level Culver City was playing at,“We expected them to come and play hard because they’re our rivals and we’ve always had a close match with them when we have played,” Earkman said.The match wasn’t over yet, though, Samo still needed to claim the final set in order to secure a 3-0 win. Similar to the previous set, the third was very close. Once again, the two teams were tied at 24-24, and they went back-and-forth, until Samo scored the final point to win the third set 29-27. According to head coach Wynn Trihn, the main thing he stresses to his team during close games is focus.“I emphasise to them that they need to be disciplined, on the defensive side, and to keep the ball in play and let the other team make the mistake” Trihn said.Earkman agreed that mental adjustments are key in the clutch time of a set.“If the score is the same, just take a deep breath and re-set the points over and over again. It is a mental game so you need to focus and not make mistakes,” Earkman said.Although Samo won the challenging game, Coach Trihn is making sure that his team will be prepared for future close games.“I’m going to make sure we compete against each other during practice, so we can prepare for the tough teams,” Trihn said.The team was glad to overcome their rivals and remain undefeated, and they hope to keep the momentum going in an away  game on Oct. 13 at rival high school Beverly Hills High School. The Vikings won this matchup 3-0 on Sept. 29.